For the majority of the first round neither man threw many strikes. To say that the two men had respect for each other’s skills would be an extreme understatement. I would have to say that 4 out of the 5 minutes of the round were just the two men feeling one another out. But toward the end of the round both fighters started to open up a little bit. MacDonald found a nice home with his jab and Ellenberger made Rory bleed from his nose in a tight exchange and flurry. The first round was very difficult to score.

Ellenberger was again a little hesitant to start the second round. He couldn’t really get his rhythm going, mainly because Rory started tagging him with his stiff jab and evading all the strikes Jake was throwing. Rory kept his attack fairly diverse with quick kicks and body shots and clearly out-pointed Ellenberger in the second round.

It felt as if Ellenberger was in desperate need to either earn an 8-10 round or finish the fight if he wanted to earn the ‘W’ buthe came out and didn’t really start to pick up his pace until there was about a minute left in the fight. As time ticked down Elleberger threw a nice combo and then blasted through Rory to score a double-leg takedown. It just seemed to be too little too late. This was a highly anticipated bout that was highly hyped. The bout didn’t really live up to the hype but we did learn that Rory MacDonald posses a wicked jab and is absolutely one of the best fighters in the UFC welterweight division.

Rory MacDonald Wins via Unanimous Decision Victory (30-27 x2, 29-28)

MacDonald is a monster and his footwork and jab were just too much for Ellenberger to get through. Ellenberger is a dangerous competitor and Rory was just too slick and technically sound for Jake to land anything of significance. MacDonald’s boxing skills were the difference in this bout and we now know that Rory is right on the cusp of a welterweight title fight. He is now 15-1 with his only loss coming to former interim champ, Carlos Condit. The only question is, will he fight his mentor, training partner and current champion, Georges St Pierre?

Stay glued to BJPenn.com to see what the UFC decides to do next with Rory MacDonald.

About BJPENN.com

Shouted out after victory to the UFC masses, BJPENN.COM is the home to multiple time champion BJ Penn. After a decade of on-line operation BJPENN.COM has evolved into the most reliable destination for all your fighter interviews, fighter blogs and MMA/UFC news stories.